Wrench.



PATENTED AUG. 22, 1905.

1:. G. CORNELL.

WRENCH.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 1a. 1905,

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FRANIC G. CORNELL, OF LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- FOURTH TOAUGUSTUS F. WVILLSON, OF- LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 22, 1905.

Application filed January 18, 1905. Serial No. 241,669.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK G. CORNELL, a citizen of the United States,residing at Louisville, in the county of Jefferson and State ofKentucky, have invented certain new and use ful Improvements in lVrenches; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, andexact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, forming a part of this specification, and to the letters ofreference marked thereon.

This invention relates to improvements in wrenches primarily adapted forgrasping and turning pipe or substantially cylindrical objects, althoughfeatures of the invention are applicable to wrenches designed for otherpurposes, but involving the employment of grasp ing-jaws adapted to bemoved relatively to each other to effect the gripping of the articlebeing operated on.

The objects of the invention are to provide an exceedingly simple anddurable wrench the parts of which may consist of simple castings adaptedto be assembled with little or no finishing or machine-work.

A further object of the invention is to provide a Wrench in which thejaws will be so connected as to be properly positioned with relation toeach other and at the same time permit of necessary relatively pivotalmovements to conform to the article being grasped when moved by theoperating-handle to effect the gripping.

Primarily the invention consists in a wrench having jaws movablyconnected, so as to be capable of a pivotal action with relation to eachother, and an operating-handle pivotally connected with both jaws andadapted to move them with relation to each other to grip the articlebeing operated on.

The invention further consists in a wrench embodying a gripping-jawhaving integral cheeks between which the handle is pivotally mounted,said cheek-pieces being extended around the gripping-face of the jaw toform strengthening-ribs.

The invention further consists in certain novel details of construction,combinations, and arrangements of parts, all as will be now described,and pointed out particularly in the appended claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a side elevation ofa wrench embodying the present improvements. Fig. 2 1s a similar view,partly in section. Fig. 3 IS a sectional view through main aw. Fig. 4:

is a perspective View of the smaller or supplemental jaw. Fig. is anedge elevation of the wrench. Fig. 6 is a detail of the pivotpin and itsretainer.

Similar letters in the several figures indicate like parts.

The type of wrench adopted for illustrating the present invention is onewherein the jaws are designed for gripping a pipe--for instance, ofstandard size or such variations of the size as usually occur in thecommercial product or a pipe and the commercial eoupling designed forthe pipeand interchangeable jaws are provided for adapting the wrenchfor other standard sizes of pipe, although it will be understood thatthe invention is not necessarily limited to this type of wrench, asfeatures of the invention may be used in connection with wrencheswherein the relative jaw movement is sufiicient to accommodate pipe orother articles of widely-differing diameters.

Referring to the said drawings, the letter A- indicates the main jaw ofthe wrench, and in the particular type illustrated it takes the form ofa hook the inner or concave face of which is toothed, as at a, whileextending around the outer or convex face are a pair of flanges A, whichgradually increase in width from the nose of the hook and are extendedin the form of cheeks A between which the end of the operating-llandle Bpasses. The operating-handle passes between the cheeks A and ispivotally connected therewith by a pin C, said pin being preferablymounted in the checks to bridge the opening between them, and theopening 7) in the handle for the reception of the pin is of considerablylarger diameter than the pin itself, as shown clearly in Fig. 2, inorder to equalize the gripping pressure of the jaws and afford a certainplay or looseness to insure the correct positioning and operation of thejaws.

The shorter arm of the operating-handle projects beyond the cheeks andis pivotally connected by a pin of with the smaller or supplemental jawl), which latter has a concaved toothed face 11 opposed to the toothedface of the main jaw. This smaller or supplemental jaw is to a certainextent similar in construction to that of the main jaw that is to say,it is formed with two flanges D on its rear face, which flanges receivethe end of the operating-handle between them where it is pivotallyconnected by said pin (Z and in addition said flanges extend back of thepivot-pin and take a bearing on the edges of the cheeks at each side ofthe handle and through suit able projections and recesses, to be nowdescribed, are movably connected with the cheeks of the main jaw, so asto have a pivotal action with relation thereto.

In the preferred construction and as illustrated the flanges D passbetween the cheeks of the main jaw on each side of the handle, and alongthe inner edges on the outer sides they have ribs (Z, curved, as shown,and adapted to work in recesses 60 in the cheeks, said recessespreferably having straightforward sides parallel with the edges of thecheek at (L and inner edges curved to conform to the curvature of theribs (Z. The construction is such that the edge heads a guide thesupplemental jaw by being confined somewhat loosely in the narrower partof the space between the bearing portions (Z of the flanges D and theribs d, and at the same time the said jaws are capable of a pivotalaction with relation to each other, and this pivotal action takes placewhen the jaws are moved toward and from each other by theoperating-handle and is suflicient in extent to permit the jaws toconform accurately to the surface of the object being grasped and tobring the line of maximum pressure always central of the jaw.

The eifect of providing a journal in the han dle larger than thepivot-pin is to cause the handle to travel back on a curved line withrelation to the pivot as the jaws are drawn together and their approachresisted, thus shortening the power end of the lever slightly andcausing it to act with greater power. It also tends to draw thesupplemental jaws inwardly and prevents any possibility of the partsbinding or stretching even under excessive strains.

To make the wrench automatic in its action, a spring G may be providedon the handle to advance the main jaw toward the supplemental jaw, andin use the pressure of the pipe on the main jaw will flex the spring andallow the pipe to enter readily; but at the same time the jaws will beat once closed on the pipe, and an advance movement of the handle causesan instantaneous grip without danger of slipping or crushing the pipe.

Inasmuch as the type of wrench contemplates the use of several sizes ofmain jaws the pivot-pin is preferably made readily removable, for whichpurpose it is provided with an annular recess a for the reception of aspring-retainer, which may be a simple spring-wire H, having one endheld in one of the side beads A of the main jaw and located in positionto enter the recess in the pin when the latter is properly seated.Simple pressure on the retainer at once releases the pin, and at thesame time the said retainer is located between the pin and bead A andclose to the latter, where it is protected against injury throughcontact with objects against which the wrench may strike.

The construction of jaw with two strengthening-flanges extended to formcheeks between which the handle is held not only provides the strongestpossible structure with the use of the least possible metal, but it is astructure which may be readily cast in one piece and is of such formthat no machining or finishing is necessary before assembling the parts.Said flanges and cheek-pieces practically form a casing between whichall the working parts are located, so that there is little danger ofinjury through the rough usage to which articles of this nature aresubjected.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A wrench embodying a pair of grippingjaws having cooperatingprojections for movably .and pivotally connecting said jaws and anoperating-handle pivotally connected with said jaws at different pointsto operate as a lever in moving the jaws toward and from each other;substantially as described.

2. A wrench embodying a pair of grippingjaws having overlapping flangespivotally and movably connected and an operating-handle pivotallyconnected with said jaws at different points to operate as alever inmoving the jaws toward and from each other; substantially as described.

3. A wrench embodying a main grippingjaw having parallel flanges on itsouter face extended to form parallel cheeks at one end of the jaw, alever-handle pivotally mounted between said cheeks and a supplementaljaw pivotally mounted on said handle and cooperating with saidcheek-pieces to be guided thereby toward and from the main jaw;substantially as described.

4. A wrench embodying a main grippingjaw having extended parallelcheekpieces, a supplemental jaw movably and pivotally mounted so as toslide bodily on said cheekpieces and an operating handle pivotallymounted between the cheek-pieces and pivotally connected with thesupplemental jaw at a point beyond the cheek-pieces; substantially asdescribed.

5. A wrench embodying two gripping-jaws movable toward and from eachother and having cooperating flanges, pivot-pins in said flanges and anoperating-handle having openings for said pins, one of said openingsbeing circular and of greater diameter than the pin to provide a loosepivotal connection; substantially as described.

6. A wrench embodying two gripping-jaws movable toward and from eachother and havwhich said pin works to afford a loose piving interlockingflanges for guiding the jaws otal connection; substantially asdescribed. With relation to each other, an operating-hanw dle pivotallyconnected With the jaws at dif- FRANK CORNELL ferent points, the pivotalconnection between Witnesses:

said handle and one jaw embodying a pivot- THOMAS DURANT,

pin and a relatively large circular bearing in ELIZABETH GRIFFITH.

